The question around Silicone Valley and elsewhere is “what’s wrong with Steve Jobs?” First, Steve didn’t show up at one of his perennial speaking engagements. That’s right, in December, Jobs announced that he would not be speaking at this year’s MacWorld. The Apple (NASDAQ AAPL) explanation: no revolutionary new products to announce, and the show had lost it’s relevance.

Imagining MacWorld without Steve Jobs is similar to Lilly Tomlin’s view of sex after death: “there will be sex after death; we just won’t be able to feel it.” Year in and year out, this grandest of all Mac events became Steve Jobs political and social platform. His not being present is indeed troublesome.

If you remember, it was in 2004 that it was announced that Steve had surgery for pancreatic cancer. Since then, word on the street was that he had beat the big C. Suddenly, toward the end of 2008, people began to notice that Jobs was appearing gaunt and particularly thin. Not a pretty sight. Concern continues even though the official word from Apple is that Steve simply has a “hormone imbalance” for which he is receiving undisclosed treatment.

One certainly hopes this is the truth for Steve’s sake and especially for the sake of Apple. You might remember that Apple and Jobs parted company back a few years ago. It simply didn’t work out. Steve Jobs returned to once again steer the good ship Apple into new and unchartered waters. And quite successfully, one might add.

So what are we to make of these latest Jobs sightings? Is all well with his health, and what do these events say about the future of Apple? Many market analysts seem to pointing to a shift of leadership within Apple. A new day approaching, one that may or may not include Jobs.

Among the questions awaiting an answer is this: Has Apple become mainstream enough to overshadow the well deserved reputation Jobs has earned as being an iconoclast? Or, is the Apple customer base still primarily made up of Earth-first libertarians who see Jobs and Apple as one in the same thing?

Why all the secrecy? If all is well with Jobs then simply give us “just the facts.” If it is purely coincidental that Jobs is ill and that Apple is undergoing a major internal change, simply say so. Has Apple succumbed to Microsoftitus in that Apple is suddenly incapable of transparency? Hey Apple, anxious minds are waiting to know.

Certainly this writer wishes nothing but good health and the very best for both Steve Jobs, and for Apple. Whether our good wishes are enough is something we’ll have to wait and see about.